THE MOVE AWAY FROM OIL

Governments backing renewable energy

As oil prices rise and governments take action to reduce C02 emissions, we are at the beginning of a revolution, a shift towards electric vehicles. The E.U. has stipulated that 15% of the UK’s energy must come from renewable sources by 2020. A Dutch Minister, Maria van der Hoeven, supports the promotion and sales of electric vehicles for small companies and families living in big cities. In the next ten years she wants at least 75 % of cars to be electric powered or electric-hybrid. The Dutch government has therefore requested industry to make progress in the development of electric cars, and it is expected that other countries will follow.

The UK Government has launched its renewable energy strategy consultation, which proposes £100 billion investment mainly by the private sector in renewable energy by 2020. The Chairman of the G8, the Prime Minister of Japan, has said that his country has allocated $30bn over the next five years to low carbon technologies, as well as a contribution of $10 bn for the Cool Earth Partnership which will help developing countries. On the night of 7th July, when delegates from around the world arrive at the G8 Summit in Japan, people will turn out their lights together to remind us all of the importance of the Earth’s environment.

Up till now oil has been cheap and electric vehicles have not been able to compete. Financiers do not take into account the environment, but the return on their investment. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) says that if the Government imposes a carbon tax to cover the cost of pollution, this would stimulate investment in renewable energy technologies.

Green MotorSport Events

Apart from keeping track of global political events and providing advice and information on environmental issues, Green MotorSport has been busy showcasing new electric kart systems and the Wisper electric vehicle around the country.

The Royal Show

The Royal Bath and West show recently hosted the Eco Zone, an environmental showcase of new technology that’s gaining momentum. This year’s show was the biggest so far in Bath, as environmental technology gains increasing importance as fuel costs and living costs rise. The Eco Zone was visited by numerous celebrities including Noel Edmonds, the television presenter, as well as HRH Princess Anne. Green MotorSport exhibited its super electric composite Westfield prototype and its products attracted great interest. This year’s sustainable transport show had a variety of alternative fuelled vehicles and Green MotorSport picked up 4th Prize in the Transport competition!

The pictures above show HRH Princess Anne visiting the SolarRola adventure in the Eco Zone where a team of solar electric quadricycles was on display after completing a whopping journey from Parliament Square in Central London to the Bath and West Show in Somerset purely powered by the sun! Malcolm Moss ( right ) founder of the Moss Solar Trust seen presenting at the Bath & West. Malcolm explains the practicality of renewables in action. The project demonstrates that electric vehicles are a viable alternative to petrol or diesel. Green MotorSport achieved 4th prize for Wisper in the sustainable transport competition.

The North West Motor Show

The electric Wisper was seen by a crowd of several thousand as it demonstrated the superb acceleration of its 4 GMS motors and controllers. People were amazed at how fast the car took off down the straight. The high torque of the electric motors gave instantaneous acceleration.

Brands Hatch A1GP

Green MotorSport supplied renewable energy for the entire weekend to Ford Park Raceway slot car racing entertainment, at Brands Hatch at the A1 GP. The track is the largest slot car racing track in the country. Using our solar powered Kart transporter, we were able to provide the racing weekends energy. The solar panels generated enough power from the sun to power all the model race cars for the entire event!

Festival of Speed

Green MotorSport will be on display at the world’s most famous motor sport show, the Goodwood Festival of Speed on the 11th, 12th and 13th July. The Technology Pavilion will showcase a variety of exciting new technologies from motor manufacturers, design specialists and other motor industry suppliers. Many of the exhibits will have never (or only rarely) been seen in public before. These exhibits will range from concept cars incorporating the very latest automotive thinking, to alternative fuels and future personal transport solutions. On display in the Technology Pavilion in association with BP Ultimate will be Land Rover, Nissan, Morgan, Tesla, Mercedes, Honda, Peugeot, Opel, Mitsubishi, Citroen, Saab, BMW and of course Green MotorSport.

Will fuel cells catch up with batteries?

Green MotorSport and our partners are working to bring to market battery powered vehicles, with 70 miles range, and with advanced battery options of up to 150 miles, on one charge. New micro-generation systems will enable our battery cars to be increasingly powered from the sun and wind. Fuel cells are also coming along! Honda has built a new assembly line for small scale production of fuel cell vehicles. One of the first customers will be actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who lives in California where hydrogen refuelling stations are already available. Green MotorSport is working with manufacturers who are developing electrolysers, which will give us hydrogen from micro wind or solar panels. Just as we now have petrol and diesel powered cars, in the future people will choose battery or fuel cell powered electric vehicles to meet their requirements depending on the local electric or hydrogen filling facilities.

Battery & Energy recovery system research

Dr Gerbrand Ceder, group leader of the materials genome project, recently announced pro gress with his group of scientists who are focusing on the design of better materials for rechargeable lithium batteries. The group is gaining greater understanding of materials properties by applying theories from solid state physics, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics. So far the project has revealed very positive results for the further development of lithium battery technology.

On a more negative note was the recent news from the FIA. The group threatened to postpone the use of kinetic energy recovery systems until 2012, until performance issues have been standardized. F1 racing needs to stay ahead of the game otherwise the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) or even NASCAR may overtake. However, Greener motoring, the FIA's campaign is a positive approach, and aims to help reduce the impact of cars on the environment.

The M1 Power Train Electric Motor

The M1 motor is our flagship product, designed exclusively for demanding applications with a fundamental understanding that electric motors in general are required to become cheaper. The GMS M1 fulfils this expectation, but at the same time is strong and durable with weight under 17KG. The M1 is a product of an ongoing research project designed to make a cost effective electric motor for mass production purposes. The motor can be used in several formats, for boat applications, sports utility vehicles or using our transition packages for family vehicles. The issues associated with any product are cost and quality. In order to make an electric vehicle as commercial as possible we require every part of the package to be cost effective. Our new M1 motor achieves very realistic performance for its cost. Green MotorSport is currently developing its manufacturing facilities due to the overwhelming amount of inquiries recently received for the product.

Developing Bio-fuels

Green MotorSport is also developing vehicles powered by bio-fuels, but there are problems in getting the right fuel quality. The quality must be consistent so that we get the same energy per litre whatever the source of the bio-fuels. What is needed is for the industry and governments to come together and set a standard for bio-fuels for transport. The UK Government is already examining the standards which will be needed to ensure that bio-fuels come from sustainable sources, in particular that they are not displacing tropical forests or food crops.

Education

The final year dissertation area for the Industrial Group Design Project at Kingston University was set with the assistance of Green MotorSport. It starts with a detailed breakdown of the history of electric cars and is followed by the “Maximisation of the range of electric vehicles through increased energy efficiency and energy recapture.” Technical issues covered in the final degree dissertation include energy efficiency, drive cycle analysis, rolling resistance, aerodynamic resistance, energy recapture and regeneration methods, solar power, kinetic energy systems, regenerative braking, energy recapture from chassis and heat recovery systems. The students explain energy and power calculations relevant to electric cars as well as researching the technology currently under development by Green MotorSport and leading electric vehicle manufactures.

Green MotorSport would like to take this opportunity to thank the students who carried out this project, Mr Paul Brandon the Industrial Group Project Director, as well as the lab staff of Kingston University who assisted with Dynamometer testing of the demonstration vehicle Wisper. The report paves the way for Green MotorSport Projects and the information gained from this report will be used within Green MotorSport to assist with further plans in automotive development.